Nice to see you!

Three major events occurred for me last year (2010), all in the space of about 2 weeks. I turned 50. The following day I got married. Two weeks later, my oldest daughter became pregnant with her first child and my first grandchild.

Most middle-aged people will tell you that in their minds, they still feel 20 something. It's the same for me.

Wasn't it only yesterday that I was planning a night out with guys from the surf club? That gorgeous new perm. Flaired, cuffed denims and the red t-shirt with the off-the-shoulder frill. Corked platform wedgies. **sigh**

Suddenly I'm looking in the mirror and wondering how 30 years can flash by so damned quickly!

So here I am in cyberspace, sharing my genuine shock and horror with anyone who'll listen and maybe I'll even meet some other over 50s who find themselves in the same predicament!

Welcome to my dilemna!!

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Crash Hot Not

What a rainy start to the day!

I didn't even get out on my trike until about 9.30am and then I got caught in a couple of light showers before I returned home.

I bought my coffee (and one for Adoring Husband) and made a quick visit to the markets where I bought the desk organiser that I had admired last month.

I may have had a touch too much wine last night .. to drown my dental woes .. and I wasn't feeling fabulous today, so I crashed on the couch where I watched a few movies before the football finals started.

For lunch I created a couple of plates full of fruit and veg with guacamole dip. Celery, capsicum, cucumber, carrot, pear, strawberries, boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, sauerkraut and smoked salmon. It was delicious and full of healthy goodness. All of it, except the pear and salmon was organic.

After that we munched on something less healthy .. store bought pork crackle. As delicious as it was, it left me feeling decidedly unwell and bloated and uncomfortable for about four hours afterwards. So bad that I couldn't eat dinner and all I wanted was water and sleep.

I had a power nap for about twenty minutes before the footy started this afternoon and then prepared dinner for AH. Crispy skinned chicken with salad.

Both footy games tonight were exciting games and happily for me, my team, the Brisbane Broncos won theirs against the Cowboys. AH's team plays tomorrow.

I played with a couple of photos from Fraser Island ... the first is a Scarlett Honeyeater and the second is a White Cheeked Honeyeater.



It's 10.30pm and I think I'll head to bed now. A good night's sleep will energise me for tomorrow. I have to edit the photos from my trip to Griffith and people are waiting for them. I also have a few more from Fraser Island .. family pics that need to be edited.

Happy birthday to the Nikonian for today too!

Nite all.

Dental Dilemma

Today, for the first time in twenty years, I had a dental appointment.

Approximately ten years ago, when Adoring Husband and I first began spending our holidays in The Bay, we would walk past this dental surgery and make fun of the name, wondering who the hell would go to a dentist by the name of Spike Jan?

Funnily enough, all these years later, this same dentist came highly recommended by people I trust, so even though I originally selected a different doctor, I changed my mind and made an appointment with Spike.

When I phoned to make the appointment, I was given a 'long' appointment to fix whatever problem I had and to make a long term dental plan.

Knowing that I would have to fill out forms for my first time there, I turned up twenty minutes early.

There at the reception desk was a mother and her young son, who was about ten years of age. This young boy had been slotted into my long appointment as an emergency. The mother was filling in the same forms that I would be soon be completing, so obviously, this was their first visit too!

One of the questions is 'Are you afraid of dentists?' and then it gives you the choice of a rating from one to ten and the spot after ten is the rating 'petrified'. The mother asked the boy if he was scared of the dentist and he laughed at her and said 'no' like she was a fool for asking.

I said to him 'you are very brave' and his mother said 'I think dentists aren't half as scary as they were when we were kids'. I agreed with her and began to fill in my own form.

Forty minutes later, I could hear that same boy yelling from the room down the hallway and then the dentist apologising.  Soon after, the boy emerged with a mouth full of cotton wadding, very red eyes and a pained expression on his face. He looked at me. I looked at him. No words were required.

I considered leaving right then and there.

The reason it has been twenty years since I saw a dentist is because I am terrified of them. I hate the smell. I hate the sound of all those tools they use to drill, fill, clean, scrape, suck, blow and polish teeth. I hate the taste of everything that they put into your mouth .. the tools, the rinse, the cleaning fluids, the filling material. I hate the feel of the scraping and drilling and yanking. I hate the pain. I hate the cost.

There is nothing even remotely pleasant about a visit to the dentist.

It was now my turn.

I was called into a different room and was then asked to sit in a large spongy blue chair. He assumed that I was there for a check up, a clean and to repair a tooth.

So I explained that it had been twenty years, that I disliked him and 'his kind' and that I was there to have my front tooth looked at because it was loose, crooked, ugly and likely to fall out any minute.

He checked my mouth and discovered all kinds of ugliness there.

I have serious gum disease that needs to be rectified before my teeth can be touched. The two crooked teeth at the front will definitely need to be removed once the gum disease has been seen to. There are three other loose teeth that MAY correct themselves once the gum disease is fixed. All of my fillings are amalgam and need to removed and replaced. There is one broken tooth at the back that will need to be removed.

The teeth on the bottom jaw are ok, which is great, because apparently it is almost impossible to fit a denture properly on the bottom jaw. He told me to always try to keep the teeth on the bottom.

So now I have a referral to a Periodontist in Brisbane. He is, apparently, the best in Australia, so I hope that he can perform miracles with my mouth. I also need to have an x-ray before I go.

The dentist spent about twenty minutes scraping, scratching, pulling, gouging, polishing, sucking and blowing at my teeth to clean them and then explained the process that I would need to endure to get to the 'maintenance' stage.

He also told me that my serious gum disease was bad enough to negatively impact on my over all health and that it was imperative that I see to it quickly.

Surprisingly, with my private health cover, that visit only put me $100 out of pocket.

So that's it! My dental visit in a nutshell.

I'm not pleased, but it's pretty much what I expected.

It's now after midnight, so I'd best head to bed.

Nite all.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

A Fraser Kind of Day

It's been a lovely day!

Adoring Husband and I drove to River Heads early this morning and caught the 9am ferry across to Fraser Island.

The weather fluctuated between warm and sunny, cool and cloudy then cold and windy. I didn't dress for that sort of weather, so for some of the day I felt quite chilled! When the sun was out, it was enough to thaw the chill, but then the clouds would form and the wind would blow .. meanwhile, the children were in the swimming pool oblivious to the weather!

We arrived more than an hour before we were due to meet the family at Kingfisher, so we got ourselves a coffee, then went for a walk to the store so that AH could buy presents for the kids. He doesn't get to spoil his grandies very often, so he had fun picking out a couple of gifts for each of them.

Suddenly we found the family which numbered thirteen! What a crowd!

We headed to one resort area where there is a restaurant and shallow pools for the littlies, but it was closed for the day, so we had to return to the Kingfisher resort and the deeper pools.

We took over a large shaded area with tables and chairs dragged from all directions and ordered lunch. There were only two GF options, so AH and I ordered one of each. Everybody else seemed to go for the burgers and chips.

There were tag teams happening as the boys cared for the kids in the pool and a couple of the girls went for massages at the Natural Healing Centre. Everybody chatted together and AH spent time with the grandies, who were a little shy of him because we don't get to spend much time with them.

The food arrived in a timely manner, but was nothing special. I had a couple of glasses of wine and went for a stroll with my camera to photograph some gorgeous birds in the native bushes around the pools.

After about 2 1/2 hours, the kids had had enough, so the adults began the process of gathering all of their belongings .. what a shamozzel! It was crazy watching a group of young parents attempting to make decisions and then turn those decisions into reality. Their organisational skills left quite a bit to be desired!

So that was AH's and my cue to gather our own goods and head back to the pier to catch the 2pm ferry back to River Heads.

It was a really nice day, with just the right amount of socialising with each member of the family. We had a few laughs and the kids were very entertaining. They all head home on Saturday, so they are making the most of the last couple of days of holiday time.

I got quite a few pics, but only one to share tonight ...


AH and his lovely family :)

I'm off to the dentist tomorrow.

Terrified.

Wish me luck.

Nite all.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Wrinkles Be Gone!

Years ago, in the mid 90s, I used a beauty product that smoothed away wrinkles .. not that I had serious wrinkles back then, but in my mid 30s I felt that I had some fine lines that I wasn't too happy with .. oh to have those fine lines now!

The particular product was from a well known brand and it tightened the skin around the eyes which caused the lines to disappear. It was quite magical, however, after about 2-3 hours it became quite noticeably powdery around the eyes which kind of highlighted the lines even more. So I stopped using it.

A few months ago, I discovered a similar product, but was unable to purchase it, due to company limits on international orders. Recently those rules and limits changed, so I ordered some, which arrived today.

I dabbed it around one eye only, so that I could compare the 'before' and 'after'. How stupid of me NOT to take a photo! Ok, I'm going to go into the bathroom right now and conduct the experiment again and take a photo, so that you can see how it works.

Be right back ...


I only used my iphone to take the photo, so the quality isn't very good. Perhaps I'll have another go on Friday and use my camera to get a clearer pic.

So, yes, it removes the wrinkles, but unfortunately it does exactly the same thing that the cream I used in the 90s did. The skin goes powdery after a few hours. It probably took about 4 hours for it to happen this time, but it still happens.

I will use it on Friday night and get some friendly critique from the girls.

Anyway, thought I would share a few quotes. Tomorrow, I hope to have some photos of Adoring Husband's family and the grandies to share here. Fraser Island is on the agenda!




Got an early start, so I'd best hit the sack.

Nite all.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Read All About It!

I found a very interesting article today about Alzheimer's Disease and a pioneering doctor, by the name of Dale E Bredesen, who is currently in the middle of intensive research and has made some interesting discoveries.

He has made some suggestions, the practise of which, have already improved the health of some of the subjects in his studies. 

His suggestions are ...

1. Eliminate or greatly reduce simple carbohydrates and processed foods from your diet, including sugar, grains and other starches, since they can stir up inflammation in the brain.
2. Add probiotics to your diet
3. Take 5,000 IUs of Vitamin D3 daily.
4. Take a good multivitamin daily.
5. Take Vitamin B6 daily.
6. Take Vitamin B12 daily.
7. Take CoQ10 daily.
8. Add fish oil to your diet.
9. Take coconut oil daily.
10. Exercise rigorously, 30 to 45 minutes, 5 days a week
11. Sleep 8 hours a night.
12. Fast for a minimum 3 hours between dinner and going to bed.
13. Fast a minimum 12 hours between dinner and breakfast
14. Take turmeric daily. Consider taking Ashwagandha and Bacopa monniera daily.
15. If you eat meat, make it chicken, non-farmed fish, and occasional grass-fed beef.
16. Floss your teeth at least twice daily.
17. Meditate daily: adequate sleep and exercise improve blood flow to the brain and instigate neuron generation.
18. Hormone replacement therapy is indicated for women who have a hormonal imbalance that may be affecting brain function.

... and if you're interested in some of his research so far go here.

There is a lot there, but it's quite an easy read .. especially near the bottom where you can read the results of his case studies.

We saw the movie "Ricki and The Flash" today. We all enjoyed it, but we also agreed that we wouldn't recommend that you rush out to see it. It was an interesting storyline that flowed quite well and finished with a 'feel good' ending, albeit predictable. The acting was great and the characters both likeable and loveable. A couple of us got teary in parts. Wait for it to come on TV :)

A couple of photos of the Ringneck Parrot that I forgot to share last week ...



For the first time in twenty years (almost to the day), I have made an appointment with a dentist.

EEP!!

I am terrified of both the experience AND the costs that will be involved! My mouth has a lot of problems including crooked, loose and broken teeth as well as gum problems which I fear, after discussions with a few family members, may be genetic.

However, I expect that once I have my mouth repaired, the last of my niggling health issues may disappear. We all know that problems with gums and teeth affects other areas of our health, so fingers crossed I'll be ready to climb mountains, swim oceans and jump canyons with rejuvenated and abundant health after my final dental visit.

Let the games begin!

Nite all.

Monday, September 7, 2015

How it Feels

I don't know about you, but this is how it feels for me ...


It's always shocking when someone makes an 'old' comment, or I see a photo of myself, or I see an old friend after a long period of time or when I have to tick the 'over 50' box on a questionnaire.

How my body looks and how my brain thinks, are two completely different things!

My cold symptoms seem to have withdrawn again today. I've coughed a couple of times, but no runny nose and no congestion and I've felt more energised. 

I spent an hour pedalling around in the warm Winter sunshine searching for Tawny nests again, without any luck. I found a Crested Pigeon nest but it was inside somebody's front yard and there was no clear view for my camera to get a good shot. I could see one little baby poking it's head out from under the parent but just couldn't get close enough for a shot.

I also found a Noisy Mynah nest with chicks, but it was just a little too high for me to reach for a shot. If it was a more interesting bird, I might drag a ladder to the tree for a better angle.

That was the only luck I had in the hour.

Tomorrow, I'm off to the movies with a couple of my girls to see Ricki and The Flash starring Meryl Streep, her real life daughter Mamie Gummer and one of many heart throbs from my youth, Rick Springfield. I'm looking forward to it.

Still no adventure in the kitchen. Twice now, I've sat down to search my recipes, but got side tracked by emails and facebook and links to interesting stories. Before I know it, a couple of hours have passed and I get side tracked by something else like hanging washing on the line or cleaning the toilet or helping Adoring Husband with something. 

The procrastination queen strikes again!

Nite all

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Into the Future

Four or five years ago, Vegan Chickie introduced me to a site where you can write a letter to your future self and then select a date in the future where they return the letter to your email address.

I've been writing to myself every year, talking about my fears, my accomplishments, my hopes and dreams, my disappointments, my celebrations, my highs and my lows.

Every year, I forget that I've done it and every year, I get excited when I see my letter appear in my inbox.

It's always exciting for me to read about my life from just one short year ago and how things have changed in that time. How I've recovered from the low times like the tornado, and how I've coped with challenges like Adoring Husband's and my health issues. How my kid's lives have changed and how they follow their own paths into their future. The new people I meet and how they affect my life.

So I thought I would share the link here and perhaps you would like to try this yourself. Go to this link ...

Dear Future Me

When you've finished your letter, you can choose to make it 'public and anonymous' or 'private' - I always select 'private' and then hit send. They request verification by sending you an email to verify your email address. Upon completion of the process, a box will appear asking you to donate to the site but you don't have to donate at all, just close the page.

That's it!

One of our lovely neighbours dropped by with a packet of fresh fish that he had caught this morning, so I crumbed it with almond meal and shallow fried in coconut oil for lunch. I've never had mackerel before, which is a bit scary because I thought it was mullet, which I know is safe for me to eat. By the time I found out it was mackerel, I had already eaten one fillet.

It's been four hours since lunch with no ill effects, so hopefully, I now have another 'safe' fish to add to my 'non-allergic' list!

My cold is still lingering, but not taking control. I'm putting up a good fight! It's been a pretty lazy Sunday because I figure I should not overdo it to give my body the best chance to keep this cold at bay.

Not so lazy for AH who has been in the garden again working extremely hard!

Oops! It's after 6pm and I haven't even started dinner so I'd best sign off.

Nite all.